INDIA. On 8 April, Chennai International Airport’s New Integrated Terminal Building (NITB) will be inaugurated by the Prime Minister of India, Shri. Narendra Modi. Built at an estimated cost of Rs.1,250 Crores (US$152 million), the terminal is expected to ease congestion at the sixth busiest airport in India, especially in the busy international departures and arrivals zones.
This will be a landmark day for civil aviation in Chennai. Initial photos shared by AAI through social media (see below) display a vibrant and colourful décor throughout. The aesthetic designs underline the rich tradition and culture of the city’s history.
The construction of the new terminal building began in 2019 but was soon halted due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Construction began once again in 2021 and continued at pace through 2022.
The terminal building is spread over 197,000sq m with 80 airline check-in counters, eight self-check-in counters, six self-baggage drop counters, 108 immigration counters, 33 remote boarding gates and 20 aerobridges. Once the new terminal is fully handed over to the international airlines, the existing international terminal building will be used for domestic purposes. With the additional infrastructure, Chennai International Airport will have capacity to handle 35 million passengers a year by 2027.
Flemingo International, now a joint venture company with the Adani Group, is the incumbent duty free retailer at the airport and is set to continue operations in the new terminal.
Travel Food Services, India’s leading travel F&B company, also operates at the existing domestic and international terminals, with its presence set to continue to F&B outlets at the new international terminal.
In other retail, a tender for duty paid concessions across domestic and international terminals was released by AAI in February, with contract award set to be confirmed shortly. New passenger lounges will also be available in the new international terminal.
Along with Kolkata International Airport, Chennai is managed by Airports Authority of India (AAI) while the other four airports in the top six are managed by private operators.
Last month, Minister of State for Civil Aviation, Gen. VK Singh informed the Rajya Sabha (Lower House of Parliament) that Chennai is among 25 airports currently managed by AAI that will be leased out for operation under the Private Public Partnership (PPP) model under the National Monetisation Pipeline by 2025.
It is understood that after handing over the existing Chennai Airport to the new private operator, the same company will design, fund, develop and manage a proposed new second International Airport in the city. Located at Parandur, 70km from the city centre, the land is yet to be handed over by the State Government to the Union Government. Once this occurs, construction is expected to begin in 2024 with operations by 2028. ✈
